Lock for automobiles and the like



C. C. BLACKMORE.

LOCK FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.25,1919- RENEWED SEPT\ 1, 1922.

1A373390 Patented Dec. 5,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A TTORNEY C. C. BLACKMORE.

LOOK FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED Aue.25. 1919. RENEWED SEPT\ 1.1922.

1 43x390, Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

MORE,

culty is increased by Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

bananas c. rnaeoan, or DAYTON, omo.

LOCK FOR AUTOMOBlLES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed August 25, 1919, Serial Ito. 319,5?8. Renewed September 1,1922. Serial No. 585,832.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. BLACK- a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Looks for Autom- 'iiles and the like, of which the follow.- ing is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to door locks for automobiles and the like. Many of the better makes of automobiles are provided with rods which may be detachably secured to the door to support the storm curtain on the door so that it will swing with the latter as the door is opened and closed. Difiiculty has been experienced in attaching the rods to the door in a strong and durable manner, so that they will be held firmly in position when subjected to severe strains. This diffithe fact that the expense of installation must be kept very low, and where it is necessary to use additional parts the cost of installing these parts must be taken into consideration as well as the cost of the parts themselves.

The object of the invention is, therefore, to provide the door lock itself with'means for supporting the curtain rod; and to provide means of this kind which will be of a strong and durable character.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such a lock with means to yieldably support the curtain rod so that the edge of the curtain will be held firmly in contact with the edge f the adjacent curtain.

Other objecth of the invention will appear as the "device is described in detail.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective View, partly broken. away, of a portion of the side wall of an automobile, showing the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2+2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view,

showing a modified form of socket; F ig. 4 is a perspective View showing a further medi fication of the socket; Fig. 5 is a perspective View, partly broken away, and showing a yieldable attaching device; Fig. '6 is a plan viewof the door with the attaching device shown in Fig. 5'; Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the socket of the device of Fi 5; Fig. 8

is a sectional view taken on the e 8-8, ot Fig. 5; Fig. 9 is a sectional view showing a modified form of yieldable attaching de- In Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, I have shown a lock having means for rigidly supporting the curtain rod, but which will permit the rod to be readily placed in position on, or

removed from, the door. In Fig. 1 I have shown a portion ofthe side wall of an auto-'- mobile having the'usual door 10, which is provided with a lock or latch 11 for retaining the same in its closed position. Secured to the door is 'a storm curtain 12 and that edge of the curtain adjacent to the freeedge of the door is secured to a rod detachably mounted on the door and adapted to support the curtainin such a manner that it will swing with the door and, when the door is in its closed position, will overlap the edge of the curtain 13, which is secured to the fixed part of the side wall. Thecurtain rod preferably comprises a shank 14 adapted to be inserted in a socket carried by the 'door and this shank is connected by means of a laterally ofi'set portion 15 with a main portion 16 of'the rod which extends upwardly therefrom and to which the edge of the curtain is attached. The laterally ofi'set portion 15 of the rod projects beyond the edge of the door so that when the door is closed the edge of the door curtain will overlap the edge of the fixed curtain. While inordinary use this curtain rod is not necessarily subjected to severe strains, it frequently happens that it is subjected to severe strains which tend to rotate the shank, as when the rod. is used as handle by a person entering, *or leaving the car, or for the purpose of opening and closing the door. It has been found-1n practice that these strains will frequently loosen or distort the socket so'that the rod will not be held firmly in its correct position.

In order to provide an attaching device which will hold'the rod firmly in place and which may be applied to the door at a very small cost, I prefer to mount the socket, either in part or in whole, on one of the fixlabor.

tures on the door, so that it can be secured to the door 1n its proper position simultaneously with the mounting of the fixture on the door and with little or no additional The door lock is mounted on the door just below the point at which the curtain rod is mounted and for this reason lends itself readily to my purpose and I have in the present drawings shown a part of the lock mechanism as carrying a socket to re ceive the end of the curtain rod. The socket may be provided in various ways; but I have found that a very strong and durable socket may be provided at a low cost by extending the back wall 17 of the lock casing 11 upwardly and forming the socket therein. As

shown in Figs. 1 and 2 this back wall is extended a short distance above the top Wall of the lock casing and then bent laterally to form a flange 18 which is provided with a suitable socket. As shown in these figures,

the socket consists merely of a non-circular opening formed in the flange 18 and adapted to receive the end portion of the shank M of the curtain rod, which end 'portion'is shaped to fit within the non-circular open-- ing, so that the rod will be held against turning movement. The door is provided, in its upper edge, or top rail, with an opening 19 through which the shank 14: of the rod extends, and where the socket-consists merely of an opening in the flange, I prefer to provide an additional socket member to support the upper portion of the shank and hold the same in proper alinement with the opening. As here shown, this second socket member consists of a sleeve 20 which extends through the opening and is provided at its upper edge with a flange 21, which engages the top rail of the door to support the sleeve thereon and which also serves as an ornamental finish for the outer end of the socket. This sleeve may extend into the door a suitable distance and serves to guide the shank 14 into the opening in the flange 18 and to hold the same vertically in said opening. If desired, the lower end of the shank may be permitted to project beyond the flange 18 and into engagement with the top wall of the lock casing, which will limit its longitudinal movement. Inasmuch as the flange 18 is rigidly secured to the lock casing, either by forming the same in one piece therewith or by attaching the same thereto, it will-be obvious that when the lock casing is mounted in the door the socket member will be placed in position without further eifort on the part of the person who is installing the look. It is then only necessary to form the opening in the top rail of thedoor and insert the upper socket member therein. As a result of this construction the attaching device can be very quickly and easily applied to the door, and as the parts themselves are of inexpensive character nasmsoo the cost ofinstallation is very small. Further, the non-circular opening in the flange forms avery strong and durable attaching device which will not be easily broken or distorted when the rod issubjected to severe strains.

In Fig. 3 ofthe drawings I have shown the lock casing as provided with a socket of a slightly different character. In this instance the rear wall of the lock casing is extended some distance beyond the casing proper and is bent upon'itself to form an elongated socket or sleeve, as shown at 22. This elongated socket may, if desired, be non-circular in cross section and the shank of the curtain rod fits snugly within the same. The sleeve may, if desired, extend well up to the top rail of the door and it is unnecessary to provide the upper socket member or sleeve. In this case all that is required is to form the opening in the top rail in alinement with the socket 22 and to provide the same with the usual finishing ring 23. By forming the socket 22 on the wall of the lock casing when the latter is built this attaching device can be produced at a very low cost, and inasmuch as it is installed by the mere act-of mounting the lock casing on the door, the cost of installation can be kept at a very low figure.

The attaching devices shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are intended to be built into the door of the automobile when the latter is constructed. Itfrequently happens, however, that it is desired to provide a door with a suitable socket for a curtain rod after the door has been completed and the automobile is in use. Under these circumstances it is preferable that the socket should be mounted on the inner wall ofthe door. It is difficult, however, to mount the socket in its proper position on the door without interfering with the slide plate in which look operating lever moves. The available space is so limited that When the socket is placed in position, either the socket itself or the curtain rod will either interfere with the movement of the lockoperating lever or will lie so close to the handle of that lever that it is diflicult to grasp the handle. To overcome this difficulty I have, in Fig. 4, shown the socket 24 formed integral with the slide plate 25 of the lock. Not only does this construction provide a very strong and durable socket which can be attached to the door with but little effort, but it also insures the proper positioning of the socket with relation to the slide plate' Th attaching devices above described are designed to hold the curtain rod in fixed relation to the door and to prevent all turning movement of that rod. By making the at taching device yieldable the curtain rod mav be permitted to accommodate itself to the position of the fixed curtain and to hold the nae-misc edge of the door curtain firmly in engagement with the fixed curtain at alltimes, thus insuring a tight j'ointbetween'the two'cur-.

tains. To accomplish this the socket may be rotatably mounted and may be acted upon by such a character that it can be installed at a low cost, as it is that the non-yieldable socket should have these characteristics. As shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 the socket comprises a late 26 rotatably mounted in an opening ormed on a part of the lock structure, such for example as the flange 18. This socket plate is provided with a non circular opening to receive the end of the shank of the curtain rod, and the upper rail of the door is provided with an opening in alinement with the socket. The socket plate, in the form here shown, is provided with a projection, or nose, 27 which is acted upon by a fiat spring 28, which tends to rotate the socket in the proper direction, a stop 29 being provided to limit the movement of the socket by the spring. The spring is here shown .as mounted on lugs 30 and 31, and the free end of the spring is so arranged with relation to the lug 3,0 that it will be moved into engagement therewith when excessive movement is imparted to the rod, thus limiting the movement of the socket in a reverse direction and preventing the nose 27 thereon from passing beyond the spring, or the spring being broken when the the top rod is subjected to excessive strains.

In Figs. 9, 10 and 11 I have shown another form of yieldable attaching vdevice,in which the socket is, in the form of a sleeve 32 having its upperend rotatably seated in rail of the door and its lower end rotata 1y seated in a part of the lock structure, such as the flange 18. Thissleeveis non-circular in shape and fits snugly about the-shank of the rod, so that it will rotate therewith. A spring 33 is coiled about the sleeve and is connected atone end with the flange 18 as shown at 34, and is connected at its other end with the sleeve or socket 32. In the present instance the sleeve'is provided with an arm 35 with which the end of the spring is connected.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, I wish it to be understood that I do not wish to be' limited to the details of construction, as, various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having now fully described my invention what Lelaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A look for an automobile door or the like comprising a socket carried by a part thereof and adapted to receive the end portion of a curtain rod and to hold said rod against turning movement relatively to said socket.

-2. A lock for an automobile door or the like comprising a socket formed integral with a part of said lock and adapted to re ceive the end portion of a curtain rod and to hold said rod against turning. movement relatively to said socket.

3. A look for an automobile door or the like, comprising a casing, and a socket member carried by said casing and adapted to receive the end portion of a curtain rod and. to hold said rod against turning movement relatively to said socket. I

4. A lock for an automobile door or the like, comprising a casing having a portion extending beyond the edge thereof, and a socket member carried by said portion of said casing, and adapted to receive the end portion of a curtainrod and hold the same against turning movement relatively thereto.

5. A look for an automobile door -or the like, comprising a casing having an upwardly extending portion and a flange projecting fromsaid upwardly extending portion, and provided with an. opening to receive the end of a curtain rod.

6. A lock for an automobile door or the like, comprising 'a casing having a portion extending beyond the edge thereof and shaped to .form a socket to receive the end of a curtain rod. r

7. A lock for an automobile door or the like, comprising a casing having a portion of said lock and adapted to receive the end portion of a rod and hold the same against turning movement relatively to said socket, and a part carried by said door and having an opening arrangedin alinement with said socket through which said rod may be. inserted in said socket.

9. A look for an automobile door, or the like, comprising a casing haying. a part forming a socket adapted to receive the end portion. of a rod and hold the same against turning movement relatively to said socket and a sleevemounted in alinement with said socket through which the rod may be inserted in said socket.

10. A lock for an automobile door, or the like, comprising a casing having'aflange se cured thereto, spaced above the same, an

provided with an opening to receive the-end portion of a rod and hold the same a ainst turning movement relatively'to said ange, and a socket member arranged in alinement with said opening, through which the rod may be inserted in said opening.

11. A lock for an automobile door, or the like, comprising a socket carried by a part of said lock and adapted to receive the end portion of a rod and hold the same against turning movement relatively to said socket, said socket being yieldable about an axis extending longitudinally of said rod.

12. Thecombination with a curtain rod adapted to be mounted on an automobile door, of a socket adapted to be mounted on said door to receive the end portion of said rod, said socket being yieldable about an axis extending longitudinally of said rod.

13. A lock for an automobile dooror the like, comprising a socket rotatably mounted on a part thereof, and .a spring acting on said socket to rotate the same.

14. A lock for an automobile door or the like, comprising a socket rotatably mounted on a part thereof, a spring acting on said socket to rotate the same, and means for limiting the rotatory movement of said socket.

15. A lock for an automobile door or the like, comprising a casing having a flange secured thereto and spaced above the same, a socket member rotatably mounted on-said flange, and a spring tending to rotate said socket member.

16. A lock for an automobile door orthe like, comprising a socket member rotatably mounted on a part thereof adapted to be mounted in alinement with an opening in the door to permit a rod to be inserted through said opening into said socket, and a spring acting on said socket member to rotate the same and said rod.

17 A lock for an automobile door or' the like, comprising a socket member rotatably nounted on a part thereof adapted to be mounted in alinement with an opening in the door to permit a rod to be inserted through said opening into said socket, a spring acting on said socket member to rotate the same and said rod, and stop devices to positively limit the movement of said socket member and said rod in one direction.

18. A lock for an'automobile door or the like, comprising a casing having a flange rigidly secured thereto and spaced above the top wall thereof, a socket member rotatably mounted on said flange and having a projection, and a fiat spring mounted on said flange and bearing against said projection to rotate said socket member.

19. A lock for an automobile door or the like, comprising a casing mounted within the door and having a flange secured thereto and spaced between the top wall of said casing and the top rail of said door, of a socket member rotatably mounted at its ends in said flange and said top rail, and a spring coiled about said socket member and adapted to impart rotatory movement thereto.

20. The combination with an automobile door, or the like, having an opening to receive the end portion of an upright curtain rod, of a fixture carried by said door and provided with a socket arranged in line with said opening in the door to support said rod in said opening.

21. The combination With an automobile door, or the like, having an opening to receive the lower end portion of an upright curtain rod, of a fixture mounted on said door and having a flange provided with a socket in line with the opening in said door to support said rod in said opening.

22. The combination with an automobile door, or the like, having an opening in the upper edge thereof to receive the lower end portion of an upright curtain rod, ofa lock casing mounted on said door and comprising a part provided with a socket arranged in line with said opening in the door to support said rod in said opening.

23. A lock adapted to be mounted on an automobile door or the like and comprising a part provided with a socket arranged to permit the end portion of a curtain rod to be inserted in said socket.

24. A lock adapted to be mounted on an 4 automobile door or the like and comprising a part havinga socket formed therein and arranged to permit the end portion of a curtain rod to be inserted in said socket.

25. A look adapted to be mounted on an automobile door or the like and comprising a casing having a portion extending beyond the edge thereof and provided with a socket arranged to permit the end portion of a curtain rod to be inserted in said socket.

26. A look adapted to be mounted on an automobile door or the like and having a part arranged to engage the end portion of a curtain rod and support said rod. 27. A lock adapted to be mounted on an automobile door or the like and having a part arranged to receive the end portion of a curtain rod andsupport said rod in a predetermined position relatively to said lock. 28. A lockadapted to be mounted on an automobile door or the like, comprising a casing having an integral part arranged to engage the end portion of said curtain rod and support said rod.

29. The combination with an automobile door or the like andv a lock for said door, of a curtain rod to be mounted on said door, said lock and said rod having cooperating parts to support said rod.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature hereto.

CHARLES C. BLACKMORE. 

